County voters make decisions for their future

That Rutherford County now has the fifth largest population in the state should be on the minds of voters as they go to the polls Thursday as well as projections that rapid population growth will continue.

Decisions at the polls should acknowledge that the county's leaders and representatives have to be able to deal not only with current conditions in the county but also plan for a future that will challenge the county's resources more.

The race for sheriff appears to be generating the most interest, and that office reflects many of the challenges that the county faces.

Not only do sheriff's officers patrol the most rural parts of the county but also address crime in the suburban and urban areas of the county. Voters need to select a sheriff who can address what will be the needs of 2030 as well as the next four years.

The county mayor, members of the County Commission, the county school board and the county road board also must have the ability to look ahead and plan for challenges that rapid population growth is going to bring.

Rutherford County's representatives in the state Legislature and the Congress must work to bring the necessary state and federal resources that the county will need as it continues to grow.

While candidates for these state and federal offices may differ precisely on what the roles for the state and federal governments should be, their tasks include providing necessary constituent services and being sure that the county and its municipalities get their fair share of whatever resources are available.

Voters also face decisions on who should serve in the judicial system — from the courtroom to the appeals level. Population growth obviously will play a role in caseloads and the types of cases that will come before the local courts.

Decisions on retention of Supreme Court justices are not directly tied to population but will reflect the ideology, if any, that voters want the high court to use in the appeals process.

Voters are making decisions not for the next two, four, six or even eight years, but the foreseeable and somewhat uncertain future.

We hope that as many voters as possible will have take the opportunity to have a say about this future. We hope voter turnout will reflect a great interest in this future.

The opinions in this space represent a consensus of discussion by The Daily News Journal Editorial Board.